When investigating the scene of a crime, each piece of evidence must be documented photographically, showing its location, its appearance, and the orientation of the object in the scene. Standards have been developed for documenting crime scenes and particular objects of interest within those scenes to assist with the investigation. These standards define a set of prescribed views for the scene and for the objects of interest, including requirements to include wide angle views, mid-range views, and close-up views of the scene and each piece of evidence. An electronic photo gallery for displaying the photos taken during such an investigation can be organized based on a timeline, an event, or a location at which the photos were taken, or based on the similarity of the content of the photos. During an investigation of an incident, a public safety officer might need to collect photos of the scene from multiple angles and devices, all of which might be added to the photo gallery.
When the photos are taken, various factors can affect the sequence in which the photos are taken, such as the availability of a light source, the weather, or the relative rates of deterioration for different pieces of evidence. Therefore, the photos might be taken in a sequence that does not provide a good viewing experience for an investigator who is reviewing the photo gallery at a later time. For example, when an investigator reviews the photos taken at the scene of a crime or other incident in a photo gallery, the investigator might want to view the photos taken of the evidence at particular angles, zoom depths, or distances. However, correlations between the photos in the photo gallery might be unclear, given that they were taken at a variety of angles, zoom depths, and distances. In addition, multiple interactions with a user interface might be required to navigate from one photo in the photo gallery to reach a related photo taken at a desired angle, zoom depth, or distance.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by suitable symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.